


The Beast Below: Part II

by Of_Electric_Sheep



Category: Formula 1 RPF, Formula E RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-09-06 09:05:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8743828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Of_Electric_Sheep/pseuds/Of_Electric_Sheep
Summary: When a letter comes in the mail from the very man who Nico blames for his condition, it soon brings along the man himself, Nico's Father, Alain. Suddenly Nico is brought back into the world of hunting, warlocks, and tracking artifacts to find the one thing he wants most in this world, the cure.





	1. Chapter I: The Letter

Bruno and Nico sat cuddled together on the couch, enjoying a nice lie in the day after the full moon. Nico was wrapped up like a burrito in almost every duvet the couple owned, and had a hot mug of green tea in his hands. Bruno had a pillow on his lap and a large mug of coffee. They sat together happily watching some trashy reality television. 

The mail flap opened, and both Bruno and Nico perked up as some mail was dropped through it. Bruno gave Nico a small kiss on the forehead before getting up and retrieving the mail. He brought it back over to the couch before flipping through the small stack. Nico turned more of his attention back to the television, mail was usually either junk or bills. 

“Junk. Bill. Junk. Junk. Late Birthday card from Uncle Leo. Bill.” Bruno stopped at the last letter, which stuck out from the others. The envelope was cream-colored and sturdy, held closed with a red-wax seal pressed with an odd symbol. He turned the envelope over reading that it was addressed to Nico with no return address. 

Nico sighed. “That’s from my Dad, give me a second.” Nico put his tea on the table. “Honestly the guy doesn’t use a phone because he doesn’t want to be traced, but he’ll use the most obvious stationary ever.”

“I always assumed you didn’t call your Dad because he’s a dick. Not because he communicates using methods from the seventeen hundreds.” 

“He’s a hunter. You won’t find a more paranoid group of individuals.” Nico grumbled, breaking the wax seal. “They’re constantly moving, constantly looking over their shoulders.” 

Nico read the letter and groaned angrily. “He’s going to be paying us a visit.”

“Wait, why?” Bruno knew that Nico was not on anywhere near friendly terms with his Father. In Bruno’s humble opinion though, that was a good thing. After the first night that Bruno had come into contact with Nico’s wolf he had learned much more about Nico’s childhood and life after being turned. It made Bruno want to punch Nico’s Father, Alain, in the face.

“Something about there being a witch he’s tracked to this area. So he wants to use the house as a base of operations, and probably wants to make sure I haven’t gone feral or something. The dick.”

“Can we send him a letter back telling him to screw off?”

“No. I know his P.O. box, but he’s coming in three days. The letter wouldn’t reach him in time. I’m just going to have to tell him to leave when he shows up. He won’t listen, but I’ll do something. He’s not going to spread his toxic bullshit to you.”

“I’m sorry Nico. We’ll keep him away though okay? He can’t get to you.”

“Yes he can.”

“Nico-” 

“No Bruno. I know what;s going to happen. He’s going to show up, he won’t take no for an answer, and he’s going to either drive you away, recruit you to his cause, or treat you like crap.”

“Why would he try to drive me away or treat me like crap?”

“If you’re not with him, you’re against him and he cares more about hunting monsters that may or may not be guilty than his own son and his own son’s happiness.” 

“So whoever this hut is against may not have done anything?” Bruno was taken aback. He always tried to imagine that Nico’s Father at least had a moral compass.

“Yup. There haven’t been any attacks, no one’s gone missing, no animals have been sacrificed. Hell, it seems like the crime-rate has gone down.” 

Bruno sighed. “Well you know that no matter what he says, I will never be pushed away from you Nico. I love you so much.”

Nico smiled. “You stayed with me even when you found out what I am. You’re a stubborn, unmovable force, and I love you.”

Bruno grinned. “I’m your unmovable force. But I agree I am always going to be stubborn when it comes to being with you, because I couldn’t imagine life any other way.”

“Good, because I’ll make sure it never ends up any other way.”

Moving forward, Bruno kissed Nico gently. He took the letter and tossed to the side. “There. No more worrying for now okay? We’ll take a bubble bath together, and have a nice relaxing day.”

Nico nodded. “There’s nothing I’d like more.”


	2. Chapter II: The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alain arrives at the house, with some possibly life-changing news for Nico.

Nico stood at the sink washing dishes when there was a knock at the door. It struck Nico as odd, since Bruno was the only one who was expected and would have just unlocked the door. Another knock spurred Nico forward as he dried his hands and walked over to the door. He tried to wrack his brain over who would be knocking, when he spotted the letter from his Father.

Nico grabbed the letter and quickly scanned it, seeing that the arrival day was the current date. He cursed all the lights were on, and his car was in the driveway. Alain would know he was home. Nico’s head whipped around as he could hear the lock being fiddled with as the door opened. 

It had been six years since Nico had been in the same room as his Father. After they had set up the basement so that he could shift in, his Father had left, saying that he would contact Nico when he could. The years had not been kind to Alain. His once dark curls had almost completely become grey. There were a plethora of new wrinkles creating a map across his face along with a few scars. It was immediately clear to Nico that Alain’s nose had been broken at least once more since they met last. He had a new hunter’s jacket, but the same old army-style rucksack.

“Nicolas...it’s good to see you again. It’s been a while.” Alain greeted, his even his voice had aged. 

“That’s an understatement, but we’re not getting to an argument because you’re going to turn right around and leave.” Nico replied, trying to stay resolute. 

Alain looked genuinely hurt, but Nico knew better. “Nicolas, why would you turn me away? I’m your Father, we’re family.”

“Because I know you’re trying to pull me into a hunt, and I left that life behind. I don’t want to be dragged back into it. I’m finally happy with my life and I’m not giving it up for anything.”

“Not even for a possible cure for your condition?”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about? There is no cure for Lycanthropy.”

“I have a lead on a book. It is said to hold a spell that is the only known cure. It’s the only lead I’ve gotten that is possible.”

“You said in your letter you needed to hunt a Witch.”

“Actually they’re a Warlock, and they have the book.” 

Nico was split. On one hand he didn’t want to be within fifty kilometers of his Father, especially now that he had Bruno in his life. On the other hand, there was a chance that he could be human again and live a normal life. His Father would have killed the Warlock either way, and it wasn’t like he’d have to speak to his Father after he was normal again.

“How long do you think this hunt will take?”

“Not too long. I am pretty sure that I have their location pinned and, but I want to bring you along to make for certain. I could use a capable set of hands to watch my back. You were still the best partner I ever had Nicolas, and I don’t believe that’s changed.”

The sound of an engine came pulling up to the house. Alain’s head whipped around. His body went into the fighting reaction, pulling his crossbow out and aiming it at the door. 

“I should have known I’d be followed here! Nicolas get back!” Alain spat, moving to stand in front of Nico.

“No Dad! For fucks sake it’s my boyfriend! That’s his car!” Nico yelled, standing in front of Alain. “ He’s coming home from work!” 

Alain lowered the crossbow. “You have a boyfriend!? Not only are you gay but you have a boyfriend!?” Alain exclaimed. The crossbow was still loaded and pointed at the door, Nico just wished he’d put the damn thing away. 

“Yes to both. I’m a different person than the kid who moved here five years ago. I discovered a lot about myself, it isn’t easy to do soul searching when you’re constantly on the road.”

“We weren’t constantly on the road, we had a lot of downtime in between at the house. You could have done soul searching on the road as well...does he know about your condition?”

The door opened and Bruno came in whistling with a small flower pot in his hands. When he looked up from the key bowl, he stopped dead in his tracks, spotting Alain, and the crossbow still aimed at him. He put the flowerpot on the small table, and leveled a half-glare at Alain, not saying anything as Alain gazed back. “This is my boyfriend, Bruno Lalli. Bruno, this is my Dad.”

Alain gave a sharp nod. “Alain Prost.”

Bruno’s lips drew tight, he looked over at Nico. “Are you alright?” He asked. 

“I’m fine we were just catching up.” Nico turned to Alain, who finally put away the crossbow. “Yes, he knows that I’m a werewolf, and he knows you’re a hunter.” Nico gave a heavy sigh. “Bruno, we’re going to be working with my Dad.”

Alain shook his head. “ _You_ are going to be working with me Nicolas. This one doesn’t know anything about hunting.”

“You want to take down this witch, and I know you need me. Even the weakest warlocks and witches can mean death for a single hunger. With the three of us we greatly increase the chances of survival.”

Alain gave a huff. “Fine. Let’s catch up, and we can start making a plan. But if this one proves to be incompetent or weak-stomached. He is not going to get the chance to be our downfall.”

Nico rolled his eyes, and pointed to the stairs. “Guest room is the first door on the right. Bathroom is on the left. I’ll make coffee.”


	3. Chapter III: The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alain, Bruno, and Nico have a long talk.

Alain lowered his crossbow and unloaded it, still glaring at Bruno. This hardly phased Bruno though, and if Nico just said the word, he would wrestle that damn crossbow out of Alain’s hands. Alain hoisted the leather rucksack over his shoulder. He turned to Nico and addressed him in French, obviously under the impression that Bruno did not speak it. 

“I’ll need to run out to my car as well, we have a lot of information to cover. We need to set up a plan as well.”

Nico tried not to roll his eyes. “Alright, we’ll start the coffee, and meet you in the living room.” 

“I also want to check the basement at some point, to make sure that your chains are still holding to the wall alright.”

Nico could feel the blood drain from his face. After the night he had ripped the chains off of the wall, he had ended up throwing them out. Bruno had assured that the silver-coated door was going to be just as, if not more effective than the barbaric chains. Plus now the wolf just spent its night eating porkchops and cuddling with Bruno. Now Bruno had even taken a few selfies with the wolf, and would brush out its coat.

“Nicolas! Get your head out of the clouds!” Alain chastised. 

“Ah yes...sorry.” Nico gave an awkward cough. “I just uh...spaced out.”

Alain narrowed his eyes. “Is there something I should know about the chain situation?”

“I uh, they’re not in...use at the moment. They ended up getting broken and I never replaced them.” 

Nico had expected to be reprimanded, but he was not expecting the harsh slap across the face he received. He stood there stunned as Bruno rushed forward and yanked Nico back. He hadn’t been slapped since he was a child, before he learned how to walk on eggshells around his Father. 

“What the fuck was that for!?” Bruno demanded. “So what if the chains aren’t there? Has he attacked anyone? Has he escaped? Hell has he even attempted to escape? No!”

Alain fired back. “Do you realize what a werewolf is capable of child? They are the size of bears and run completely on feral, killing instinct. Those chains are not to punish him, they’re to keep others safe. Nico you of all people should realize the destructive power and danger of a werewolf.” Alain walked to the basement, and went downstairs, Nico following behind him. He went into the transformation room and looked around. “Nicolas. Can you answer me something?”

“Y-yes Father?”   
“Is Bruno in here while you are transformed?” Alain asked, not turning around. 

“Yes Father. It didn’t start on purpose, I swear.”

“Care to enlighten me?” 

“I had forgotten to bring the bowl of meat down with me one full moon, and Bruno decided that he would bring it, since he noticed it on the counter. Well, when he did, i broke the chains and instead of attacking...well I guess you can say I acted like a puppy. So, um, now on the full moons after I transform...he comes down and spends the night with me.”

“You are such an incredibly thick child. I raised you in the hunting lifestyle, you have fought werewolves, you’ve had your life ruined by them. You know how dangerous your kind is. But apparently you are a stupid, naive, child! What would you have done on the inevitable morning you wake up covered in your Boy’s blood, with his corpse ripped apart next to you?”

Bruno clenched his fists. “He never even growled in my direction! He even tries to share his food with me, and keep me warm in the winter!” 

Alain glared at Bruno. “I have been hunting since I could walk. You do /not/ know more than I do. I know the nature of werewolves, it has been driving me to find a cure for Nicolas. Lycanthropy is a disease, a horrid affliction that turns you into a blood-thirsty monster, not a lapdog.”

“Listen, if you want to take down this warlock, you’re going to need us. If you want our help, you’re not going to sit here and tear Nico down, or berate how we do things here. Now, we’ll make the coffee. If you want to get a plan together? Meet us in the living room after you put your things away.” Bruno didn’t give Alain a chance to respond, he turned and guided Nico back upstairs. 

They went up to the kitchen and Bruno gathered Nico into a hug, holding him tightly. Nico hugged back, he tried to hold back tears, not wanting to cry while his Father was in the house but a few traitorous tears fell. Bruno rubbed his back and kissed his shoulder, trying to calm him. 

“I’m sorry Bruno.” Nico said in a tone just above a whisper. 

 

“No. Nico none of this is your fault okay? You didn’t invite him, you didn’t force him to act like a little bitch. That’s all him okay?”

“I know but...God I forgot about him coming, and I forgot to se the chains back up, a-and I really shouldn’t be letting you down in the basement when I’m...that monster.”

“When you’re transformed I do not fear you a single bit. I know without a doubt in my mind that you’re not going to hurt me...hell...what if...what if werewolves are just like pitbulls?”

Nico let out a soft laugh. “Pitbulls?”

“Well think about it. They’re viewed as evil, vicious, rabid, etc. But it’s really based on who they are, and more importantly who’s approaching them. Like, if someone approaches you with the intent of harm, of course you’re going to go on the defensive. We only hear about werewolves from hunters, and the ones who bit you were targeting your Dad because he was killing them. So what if...werewolves aren’t inherently bad?” 

Nico paused. He could see where Bruno was coming from, but he couldn’t let himself be sympathetic to his other side. “Well, at the end of the day I still want this cure. Good or Bad.”

“Which is understandable. I’m not trying to get you to stay as one. Just, i don’t believe your were form is evil.”

Nico broke the hug and kissed Bruno on the nose, before moving to start the coffee. While he set up the machine, Bruno gathered the mugs and additives, setting them on a tray. As the coffee brewed, Nico leaned in, whispering in Bruno’s ear. “I want you to know we’re not going to follow my Father blindly okay? We’re going to find this Warlock, and we’re going after the book ourselves.”

Bruno grinned. “I knew you wouldn’t bend to his will.” 

Nico moved back, tapping his fingers to his lips and putting the coffee pot on the tray, taking it to the living room.

Alain was sitting in the recliner, his entire body tense as if he was expecting a physical fight at any moment. As Nico sat down with the tray, Alain helped himself pouring a mug of black coffee. He took a sip, before sighing. 

“Look. Sitting here and engaging in angry dialogue and being critical of your /lifestyle/ is not going to get us to this book. It’s not going to get you the cure. So it’s time for a truce. This isn’t going to be fun, and we both know this. But it’s for the greater good. So can we agree to just get through this hunt?”

Bruno fought the urge to roll his eyes, but Nico nodded. “We agree.”

“Good. Now, since this is a warlock, we know they’re going to be alone-”

“Doesn’t warlock just mean a male witch?” Bruno asked, utilizing Alain’s pause for coffee.

“No. Witch is a gender-neutral term. Warlock means oath breaker. It’s actually very offensive to call a witch that. Due to the fact that warlocks are outcasts from the witching world. They’re no longer linked to any coven. Usually they’ve done something pretty heinous, and have been tried and kicked out. They’re not even allowed to interact with any witches, if a witch is caught fraternizing with a warlock they can end up also being removed from the coven.” Nico explained. 

“Okay, so they’re going to be prepared to defend themselves, not having the security of a coven.”

“Exactly, witches have their covens to protect them, but warlocks only have themselves. So they’re usually very well versed in battle magic and hexes.” 

“Even worse I believe they have made their home in the local marsh. Which we know have a thick magical energy, so they’re going to have an edge.” Alain butted in. 

Nico nodded. “You have charms and hex-breakers with you right?” 

“Some, but we’re going to need more, I haven’t been able to restock in a while, so obviously I’m going to need you for that.” Alain stated cryptically. “We’re also going to need to scope out the swamp around the town, make sure this warlock is actually in there and we’re not preparing for nothing.”

“Bruno and I can do that. He’s going to need to prepare for the hunt somehow.”

Alain shot a withering look at Bruno, but nodded. “We’ll start preparing charms tomorrow. For now, it’s been a long day and I’m going to need to unload my equipment.” Alain stood up. As he passed Nico he stopped, reaching down and cupping his son’s chin, a small smile on his face. “It really is good to see you Nicolas.” He said quietly, before going out to the car. 

When Nico was sure that Alain was outside he turned to Nico. “Just so we’re on the same page, when we go to ‘scout’ that’s when we’re grabbing that book.”


End file.
